You'd Think I had Learned my Lesson...
I thought that I was done reading fiction for a while when I finished "The Girl who Chased the Moon" a while ago, but apparently I didn’t last long. I ended up getting another book a few weeks ago: Ciji Ware’s "A Race to Splendor".
The first half was great. Once you get to the second half though, it started to get painful and tiresome. There is so much repetition with themes throughout the book that I found myself yelling outloud, "Yes we know! Shut up and get on with it already!"
My biggest disappointment was the main character: Amelia Bradshaw. I liked the premise that she, along with her inspiration Julia Morgan, have an opportunity to be recognized as highly capable, working women in the eyes of the society, in the time that they lived in. Amelia presented herself as being a strong advocate and having a strong opinion for this movement. And it was interesting to see how she reacted when forced to make concessions after losing her inheritance.
However my respect for Amelia changed when she sleeps with J.D. Thayer. All of a sudden I find out that she wants a husband and children, and sees J.D. as a potential prospect. First, I am thinking: "Husband? Kids? Where did that come from?" I don’t have a problem with her wanting those things, but they just came out of nowhere and the writer doesn’t elaborate on it at all, as she had with Amelia’s goals at the beginning of the book.
And second, how the hell can you call someone a lover after sleeping with them once? Do you honestly think that the person is going to change after one night of sex with them? There are times-especially in the book’s second half-that Amelia acts like a 17-year-old instead of a woman in her thirties, and it's apparent when it comes to the romance in the story. I wanted Amelia to figure that she can’t have everything. This is why I was put off by the author writing J.D’s point of view, and having him be a gambler with a heart of gold. To be honest, I didn’t buy the love story, especially from the side of J.D.
The book lost me from the second half onward, and it was torture to finish. The ending was anti-climactic, and it fell flat. Anyone (and I mean ANYONE) can predict what happens at the end. Everything is wrapped up with a pretty bow. I didn't think I would get that from a story that's set in the 1900s.